Drabbles for FF3
by prettypriestess
Summary: A bunch of drabbles for FFDS3, mostly LunethArc or IngusLuneth. Because four fics is not a reasonable number for a fandom. Length increases as it goes unintentionally. Requests Accepted.
1. Boss

AuthorNotes: Okay, there is _seriously_ not enough ff3 fic. So little, in fact, that I have gotten off of my lazy ass to write some fic (ok, just drabbles). I have 30 prompts written out, & will be writing for LunethArc & IngusLuneth, hopefully landing at a nice 60 chapters. I'll also do writing exchanges, message me for info on that.

FF3 Drabbles  
Shounen-ai, be warned, google it if need be.  
Rating: putting T just to be safe (it's only implications…)  
Pairings: LunethArc, _IngusLuneth_, & the occasional mention of various other pairs, including, but not limited to RefiaWhoever & ArcAlus  
Summary: A bunch of ff3 drabbles, because 4 is not a reasonable fic number for a ff game.  
Warnings: Again, _shounen-ai_ (slash, whatever you want to call it), & Refia being an overall nut. May contain crack & lots of fluff.  
Length: 107 words

15. Boss

Luneth felt a swell of pride each time they fought a big boss battle, because if they fought and he could still feel the pride, it meant he was still alive, and that's always a plus. No matter how often Refia argued otherwise.

Ingus was more inclined to agree with her, especially after the incident where Luneth declared proudly that 'conquering' Ingus had been the hardest boss battle yet. Refia had simply rolled her eyes at his antics, while Ingus blushed and turned away (out of anger, knights don't get embarassed. Really.).

The implication was missed on Arc, however, because he just looked baffled at the statement.


	2. Shh! secret LA

AuthorNotes: Ok forgot the disclaimer last chapter, so **I Disclaim**! Squeenix does not belong to me, nor does ff3, or Arc, Luneth, Ingus, Refia or anyone else in the story, unless stated otherwise. Be nice if they did though…

Warnings: hint of ArcAlus & Refia being a nut  
Pairings: mentions of ArcAlus & LunethArc  
Rating: meh, G. K, whatever.  
Notes: More focus on Ingus & Refia's reactions than the couple, they're hiding behind some bushes while Arc and Luneth kiss in a clearing ahead.

24. Shh! (secret)

"This is better than when I caught Arc and Prince Alus kissing in the castle back when we visited Saronia!" Refia whispered excitedly.

Ingus, his cheeks tinged slightly pink, replied with a very eloquent "What?"

"Shh! Don't tell them I said that! Luneth would go mad with jealousy, and Arc would probably die of embarrassment," she giggled silently.

Ingus, remembering he was a knight of Sasune, not some crazed secret-loving _girl_, began to move backwards, attempting to forget what was mentioned, as well as the image of Luneth and Arc kissing in the clearing ahead.

His escape attempt _may_ have worked a little better if he had been a thief instead of an armor-clad red mage. Though red mage armor was light, it was by no means quiet.

Arc was practically hyperventilating before the other three light warriors could calm him down. And Luneth took the whole thing out on Ingus, because Refia might withhold healing until he was unconscious again.

She withheld healing anyway after he lost two out of three rounds with Ingus over the whole incident. Arc mentioned that _this_ was why he liked boys and almost got aero'ed on the spot.


	3. Thanks

AuthorNotes: Nothing really for me to say. Carry on.

Warnings: Nothing really. If you're this far, then you must be ok with the shounen-ai  
Pairings: really light IngusLuneth  
Rating: K+  
Notes: really light squint-to-see-it IngusLuneth; Refia-centric, because she's fun to write. Mentions of that scene in the opening scenes before the load screen where Luneth almost falls off of a cliff & Ingus saves him. Doesn't count as a spoiler because it was on the commercial :P

19 Thanks

It started with a simple "thanks"-not even a full "thank you." The bickering and fighting between them stopped. There were still squabbles, but Ingus was gentler in his reprimands, corrections, and subtle "I-told-you-so's," while Luneth tended to listen more and complain less.

Something between them had changed. Arc seemed to know what it was, but Refia could not figure out just what it was, specifically. So far she had just pinpointed the start of _the change_ – that day Ingus saved Luneth from a fiery doom on the cliffs.

Several times while Arc was reading or practicing his magic away from Ingus and Luneth, Refia would walk by and catch Ingus leaning a little closer than absolutely necessary when teaching Luneth how to swing his sword, or they would be leaning against each other and grinning after a long training session, comfortable in the silence of each other's company.

It was the little things like those that made Refia wonder just how much had changed since the beginning of their journey.


	4. Castle Etiquette

AuthorNotes: I mostly put these here to look official. Like I have something to say or something like that 8D

Warnings: slightly crackish Christmas fic (I know, it's not even July, let alone December, I have no excuse)  
Pairings: mild IngusLuneth & ArcAlus  
Rating: K+  
Notes: Christmas party at Alus's? After they save everyone, I guess…Do they _have_ Christmas? We'll pretend they do. This makes it slightly AUish

8. Castle Etiquette

Ingus sighed exasperatedly and rubbed the bridge of his nose before speaking again. "No, Luneth, you may _not_ become a thief to pick the treasury's lock, and do not even _consider_ bringing a magic key," he said sternly.

"But–the treasure–" Luneth protested.

"No buts," Ingus cut him off. "Refia and Arc can behave in a castle, why can't you?"

"I can too!" Luneth replied defiantly.

The bickering continued until Ingus determined that he had gotten Luneth to not cause chaos by making him promise not to do specific Luneth-like acts of lunacy. _Maybe_ if they were lucky, Prince Alus would not have to kick them out of the Christmas party for misbehavior.

In retrospect, Ingus supposed he should have seen the mistletoe coming, and perhaps even covered mistletoe in the castle etiquette lesson (see also: argument) earlier. He at least managed to tell Luneth that mistletoe was no excuse for his behavior, and proceeded to cover what tradition could do in very un-knightly terms (which he had likely learned from Luneth).

Of course, Luneth was Luneth and this did no good, especially after Prince Alus thanked him for the distraction, so that he and Arc could have some alone time.


	5. Argument

AuthorNotes: Thanks to my lovely reviewer LostMuseToHerPoet! I mighta got lazy & not updated 'til Sunday without the ego boost :D

Warnings: Umm…stubbornness? Spoilers for Desch's existence? Dramatic length increase (more a oneshot than a drabble)? Do those count?  
Pairings: IngusLuneth, just implied  
Rating: K+  
Notes: Okay, this one's sort of another side of 19-Thanks, which was unintentional, but it happened because I just like the doomy-cliff-fire scene. Mentions of Desch, 'cuz he's awesome. :D I assume that the argument scene in the opening in Sasune. Might be in the empty castle, but Sasune's more convenient. :D

29 Argument

Arc glanced between the other members of the party. Luneth and Ingus had refused to speak to each other, or even around each other since their big argument back in Sasune. Ingus lightly shoving Luneth had been the last straw.

Refia was just mad that they were being stubborn over such a small thing as a comment on Luneth's less-than-flawless swordsmanship.

.o.O.o.

The pattern of silence continued until they met Desch. Desch's easygoing personality got Luneth to stop sulking, and that brought Ingus back to his previous level of friendliness, which, truthfully, was nearly the same as when Luneth was sulking.

They didn't _really_ forgive each other though, and after Desch left they returned to a more tense and awkward silence than before. Refia had already yelled at both Luneth and Ingus; Arc had even attempted to talk them into speaking, to no avail. Their continued refusal to get over the now-forgotten trivial matter had only managed to anger each other more.

It wasn't until the incident in Molten Cave when Ingus saved Luneth from a fiery doom at the hands of a cliff and a lot of lava that they _really_ got over it.

.o.O.o.

Refia never seemed to notice much more than the fact that they were no longer "such men" about their arguments, but ever since Ingus rescued Luneth from undeniable doom, it seemed that they weren't just _civil_, but actually _kind_ towards one another, though they still argued over little things.

Arc saw through the squabbles though, and he knew that the reason that Luneth and Ingus sometimes wandered from camp wasn't just because they were sparring.


	6. Crystal

AuthorNotes: Hah, so far, this one is my favorite. Also is Princess Sara spelled "Sarah" or "Sara"? And when I'm quoting a word rather than speech does the " go inside or outside of the punctuation? Sorry, I'm kinda weird about grammar :D Continue reading.

Warnings: Okay, so I have this image of Luneth being the goofball of the party… Yevon reference, 'cuz I don't know of any ff3 gods.  
Pairing(s): IngusLuneth  
Rating: K+  
Notes: Arc doing an I-told-you-so, and Luneth being a dork…

21 Crystal

Ingus never second-guessed himself. It was a policy of his-regret can hold you back. It was one of those things he had learned from Princess Sara and her father, the king. As rulers, being held back by regret could have drastic consequences.

However, his "no regrets" policy went out the window when he and the other light warriors were recovering at the fire crystal after the battle with Gutsco. The crystal may have refreshed them, but they were still winded from the battle itself.

The battle had gone smoothly, that wasn't part of his second-guessing. No, Ingus was beginning to question the wisdom of falling in love with a certain light warrior by the name of Luneth, who was currently making faces at the giant floating fire crystal, and laughing at his own distorted reflection.

Arc smiled fondly at his childhood friend before mumbling a quick, "I told you he was going to make this hard for you to handle. That's how Luneth is."

Ingus might be impressed at how far Arc had come on the journey so far, after all, the shy boy would never have spoken so boldly at the start of their journey, but Ingus was too busy trying not to think about the fact that there were two more crystals to find, and Yevon-only-knows how many side quests to do, and cities to save in between.

Refia calmly began roasting some adamantoise meat they had picked up on the way, completely ignoring Luneth's childish behavior. Ingus sighed, this could take a while.


	7. HiPotion

AuthorNotes: Sorry, only internet access on weekends, these updates, as you will notice, will come in short bursts. Also this brings a whole new (okay, slightly overdone) meaning to 'kissing it all better.'

Warnings: Cliché idea, I'm sorry, so cliché it burns, but it just seemed to fit.  
Pairing: LunethArc  
Rating: I've seen people bump it up to T for m/m kiss, but there's not any detail, it's just a drabble, so it's still K+ I think.  
Notes: Gah no cures! And only one potion? Oh Noes! I noticed a plot-hole, so we'll pretend Ingus is something other than a red mage…maybe a thief so he's quieter :D

2. Hi-Potion

"Last hi-potion, and Refia's out of cures," Luneth commented as he swirled the contents of said hi-potion.

"You take it," Arc said. "You are fighting on the front line, I can take the wounds until we reach town."

Luneth shook his head. "We can split it," he replied casually, beginning to drink the hi-potion.

"Split it? But what-" Arc was abruptly cut off by Luneth and his mouthful of hi-potion.

Two green 100's floated above both boys. Luneth grinned as he pulled away. "See? All better."


	8. Celebration

AuthorNotes: If my DS hadn't been out of batteries & my charger currently lost, this chapter would totally not have happened.

Warnings: A bit of OOCness on Ingus's part. I can't really see him drinking or using alcohol to his advantage… Also drastic increase in length, I like these better, I think.

Pairings: LunethIngus (drunken), one-sided RefiaArc & ArcAlus

Rating: ummm T for alcohol use, I think.

Notes: Just imagine how many people would want to thank the light warriors for saving the world! This is just their own party to celebrate, as a way of escaping everyone else for just a bit. Also! I use ale as the alcoholic beverage of choice. Mostly because it's that or rum, and PotC overdid the rum (why is it always gone?)

25. Celebration

In retrospect, perhaps they shouldn't have had so much ale. Or perhaps Ingus should have sided with Refia on the matter and insisted that there _be_ no ale. The party was a private matter for the four of them-it could have been arranged.

After all of the previous enourmous social thank-you celebrations, the group had decided that at least _one_ private celebration was in order. Having ale had yet turned out to be one of the worst ideas the party had shared so far – and that included Luneth's brilliant plan to level their jobs by fighting behemoths. One behemoth was enough, more than that had turned out to be near-suicide.

Arc had honestly just wanted to _try_ the ale ("Ew, this is vile! How can anyone drink something so awful?!"), which had been fine until Luneth, half-drunk already, mentioned a few of his failures as a black mage. More specifically, Luneth mentioned the incident where Arc defeated Gutsco with a well placed Blizzara spell and with Gutsco's defeat, caused a minor quake, resulting in Luneth nearly dying a horrible roasty death.

Arc had not taken the reminder of events very well, and proceeded to get very drunk, despite his immense dislike of the taste of alcohol.

Luneth, continuing to be a loud and incredibly annoying drunk, also mentioned Arc's crush on the Prince Alus. This did not go over well with Refia, who in turn, liked Arc, thus following his example (and also proving to be the better drinker), all the while grumbling about gay light warriors.

Ingus had had no intention of getting any more than a bit tipsy from the beginning, however, like Refia and Arc, Luneth pushed Ingus into drunkeness as well, this time by spiking the pitcher of water Ingus was drinking from.

Actually it was less "spiking" and more "spilling his ale."

The end result was the same – proving that a cup of coffee was nothing in comparison to waking up naked next to a close friend. Ingus decided that perhaps the ale _was_ a good idea. In fact, though alcohol was a vile substance that turned respectable men into barbarians, Ingus thought that he should get Luneth drunk more often.


	9. Shh! secret IL

AuthorNotes: Okay, so I was with my grandparents this week & didn't get to write much, so here's what I've got, I'll have more later. I did manage to beat Golden Sun: The Lost Age again though (again) :D

Warnings: This should turn out to be a trilogy-ish thing, and I'm not done with the last bit…Also, Refia's a complete lunatic in here. I apologize in advance. And, yeah, the chocobo thing in the opening scenes? I use that here. Rawr. This & its sequel are a bit longer than my usual stories.

Pairings: So far just LunethIngus

Rating: G-K+

Notes: While this is a trilogy-ish thing, it shouldn't be necessary to read all three. Or two. Or four. Whatever I come out with. That's why it's only trilogy-_ish_.

24. Shh! (Secret)

Arc approached Refia carefully. "Refia, we're friends, right?"

"Of course!" _Good, _Arc thought, _she's at least not in one of her _moods_ today._

"Okay, can you keep a secret?" Arc asked, fidgeting a bit.

"Yeah, why? Is something bothering you?" Refia stood, stepping away from her chocobo, as a strong wind began blowing around them as she became concerned with her friend's plight. "Is some_one_ bothering you?"

Arc jumped a bit, before hastily replying, "Oh, no, no, it's nothing like that, it's Luneth and Ingus. I think they may be in need of a bit of assistance. We have to be discreet though."

"Help?" Refia raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh! They are not injured or anything, but…this is the secret part," Arc hesitated, waiting for some sign of approval before continuing. Refia nodded a bit impatiently to give her promise to keep the secret, and Arc began again, rushing to make it seem less painful to get out, "Okay, Luneth likes Ingus. I grew up with him, I know the signs," Refia seemed a bit surprised at that, but made no objection, "and I think that Ingus returns the affection. The problem is their pride. Neither one of them will be the first to ask."

It was the most Refia had heard Arc say at once since they left Saronia. She grinned.

He nearly stepped back in fear, but clutched his fire rod tighter and held his ground. "Umm…Refia?"

"Yes Arc?" She replied innocently.

"It-it's nothing. Nevermind," he responded quietly, wondering briefly what he had gotten himself into.

AN: Yeah, sorry it cuts off like that, but it goes into the next drabble.


	10. Planning Ahead

AuthorNotes: I've decided as compensation for having only two chapters instead of three or four, I'll do four requests (since there are four people reviewing). So claim your request by Friday night! Any pairing, any prompt for FF3.

Warnings: Eh, nothing more than Refia being a loon. Okay, maybe a wee bit of OOCness…and by 'wee bit' I mean enough to feed an overweight wailmer for a week, if OOCness were edible, that is. This one's also a bit weirder than the last & comes to a whole page in length.

Pairings: IngusLuneth, methinks…

Rating: G-K+

Notes: Part two, but while it does make sense to read the other one first, they're separated enough that it doesn't really matter.

28 Planning Ahead

By the end of it all Arc had decided that if all girls were this crazy, then he was very glad not to be one. He and Refia practiced for a week just to make sure all of their magic was right. Arc was used to causing as much damage as possible with his magic, which was the opposite of what was needed for Refia's big plan (Arc was _sure_ it out-plotted anything Xande could come up with).

Refia set the plan in motion by informing Luneth and Ingus that she and Arc were going into the nearest town for some potions. She had specifically chosen this moment, because after much study (a whole week!) this was around the time Luneth and Ingus got tired of sparring and sat at the fire to rest until they all went to sleep.

Three first-degree burns, a few aeros, and a chocobo later, Ingus was beginning to suspect something. This meant the plan was not going as planned. Ingus had flat-out refused to heal Luneth, as well as being generally irritated at the oddly-behaved wind.

Arc was the first to be caught, and called out for Refia's help, drawing her out of hiding as well. She instantly began to panic, blurting out all sorts of random things, "…no, no, don't hurt us! It wasn't my fault! It was the chocobo, it was umm…"

Ingus casted a thunder spell on both of them, doing very little damage, as Refia and Arc were both very skilled mages, but having the desired effect of calming both of them down. He grabbed Refia's hood and the back of Arc's robe and spoke, "Talk slowly. What do you hope to achieve by burning Luneth and trying to drive us mad with all of the wind?"

Refia replied first, a bit nervously, but doing her best to put on an innocent expression, "Well, you see, I was grooming the chocobo, and Arc came up with this big plan to get you and Luneth together, and obviously it failed, but I was just on my way back from town, honest!"

"Refia's lying! That's not fair! You came up with the plan, I just told you to keep the other stuff a secret," Arc shot back.

Luneth, having recovered from the light burns with a potion, came over to the argument. "Now, now children, calm down, one at a time," he replied, grinning mockingly.

"Yes, mommy-Luneth," Refia said innocently, nudging Arc to get him to play along.

Luneth jumped back. "I'm not your mother!" he exclaimed indignantly.

At first he was confused, but Arc began to see what Refia was trying, and contributed by saying, "Make daddy put us down!"

Ingus dropped both of the light warrior mages, choosing to stand back and glare menacingly.

Arc silently pleaded for Luneth to join in the game, to which Luneth flat-out refused until Refia began casting Aero again. He gladly joined their little game after that. "Ingus, honey, stop glaring at the children."

Ingus turned faintly pink (a blush of anger, not embarrassment, honestly!) and dragged Luneth off, while telling Arc and Refia that, "All good children should be in bed already."

Later Luneth would swear that that spot on his neck was a bruise. Refia knew better of course, and quickly began plotting for the next match-up: Arc and Alus.


	11. Request LunethArc

AuthorNotes:Normally I only have internet on weekends, but my mom's at work, so here's the first request! Also, I'm working with notepad,this sucks. XP Coulda turned out a bit better, though...

For dorkie!

Warnings: Solid fluff, back away slowly! Also it's pre-game, so no Ingus or Refia  
Pairing: Just LunethArc  
Rating: K+  
Notes: Honestly, I'm surprised this wasn't done sooner (has anyone done this?)

Request #1 - LunethArc

Ac shivered, hugging his knees closer for warmth. There was a storm outside and he was really starting to wish Luneth was here. This was just not turning out to be a good day.

"Heya Arc!" Speak of the devil...Luneth was standing in front of Arc, smiling cheerily.

Arc stood up, trying not to look afraid of the thunder outside, failing rather miserably when he flinched at a particularly close bolt of lightning. Arc latched onto Luneth and said, "You're here."

Luneth grinned and returned the embrace. "Thunder's nothing to be afraid of, you know."

Arc looked up. "But it's so loud and sudden!"

"Here," Luneth said, pulling a book out of his pack with one hand, the other hand still around Arc's shoulders. "It's from Sasune. Some of the king's best mages were researching the causes of thunder. None of it makes any sense to me, but I thought you might like it."

Arc gasped, "For me? But how did you pay for it?"

Luneth sat on a nearby barrel, pulling Arc down next to him before replying, "I was killing goblins until this morning."

Ar hugged Luneth, saying a muffled "Thank you."

Luneth responded by placing a light kiss on his forehead. "Anything to make you feel better," he replied.


	12. Request IngusLuneth

AuthorNotes: Okay, this isn't BlueDanzer's request, but it's IngusLuneth, and I like it, I may substitute this for the request, because I don't really like how the request went…So consider this yours, BlueDanzer!

Also: I'm reeeeeally sorry for the delay, but I had some troubles this week with my mom's comp, and then troubles in general, but it's up now! Please don't eat my soul!

Warnings: I still use that awkward 2nd person PoV (technically it's 3rd limited, but it's nearly 1st), and I use the cliff scene again :D Also, Love & Duty fail at kicking each others' asses. By the way, I say 'asses' in the A/N ;D Also, maybe it's me, but I think I may have overused the comma button...  
Pairing: IngusLuneth  
Rating: Eh, should be K+  
Notes: Cliff scene, Ingus is practically talking to himself, and Gutsco shall remain the cause of Luneth's near-roasty doom.

--. Control

Battles are about control, Ingus knew this because, as a knight of Sasune, this was just one of the many lessons one had to learn to get through basic training. If you control the battle, victory is yours.

One of the things he had learned on the quest so far, though, was that it is not always possible to control the battle. Back attacks were proof of this. Also, physical conflict is not the only sort of battle.

There were battles of wits (Luneth always lost those to Arc and Ingus. Refia didn't count though, because she was a girl and they always win), battles of wills (Refia won those too), and internal struggles were just a few of the conflicts the light warriors had to suffer.

So far Ingus's internal struggle was in no one's control. One side of him was slowly falling in love with Luneth, the other side was trying to squash this feeling in favor of using all of his strength and will for the quest. Love was keeping up rather well with Duty, and Ingus found himself hoping Love would win. He determined that this was merely a wish for the conflicting emotions to end, and not because he actually thought Love should win. Really.

It was when the merry party of four reached molten cave in pursuit of Gutsco that Ingus's internal struggle showed any signs of a victor emerging. Duty had been by the time they reached Gutsco, squashing Love for the duration of the battle.

Arc dealt the finishing blow – a beautifully executed Blizzara finished their annoying foe. The saying that "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," held true, as Gutsco caused a great tremor with his fall. The minor quake shook the rocky bridge the light warriors had fought so valiantly upon. Though the battle had been great, the bridge was not, and gave way beneath Luneth.

Ingus knew at once when he had control of his thoughts again, after saving Luneth from certain roasty doom, that it was Duty and Love's strength combined that had saved him.

Some battles ended in victory, some in defeat, some just ended. Ingus no longer cared after Luneth kissed him in gratitude. Victory or no, Ingus liked the results.


	13. Request IngusArc I

AuthorNotes: I feel bad that this is so late, too, but my excuses & apologies are in the previous chapter. I'll just let you get to the story… Ur's such a funny name XD

Warnings: Er, dancing? Fangirlish-Refia and hysterical-Luneth make appearances :D

Pairing: IngusArc for UnboundWings :D

Rating: umm…how's about N for no one? I think Luneth's on crack. No one should see that… (K+ for reals)

Notes: Okay I really ended up liking this pairing, so I might do more…As it stands there's just Dance at the moment. Also, in case I haven't already pointed it out, or you haven't noticed, I generally picture the trek between towns to be quite long, so the warriors camp out a lot, that's what's happening here :D

--. Dance

It was not every day that Arc got to dance with a knight of Sasune under the stars, likely millions of miles from either of their homes. Of course, it was far from every day that one got chosen to go on a life-changing adventure to save the world, but that was a different story.

None of it would have happened, though, without the help of Arc's close friend Luneth. After the initial hysterical laughter, Luneth had been quite happy to help (between giggles, of course). Arc had almost gone to Refia instead, but girls could be scary sometimes. Scarier than trying to solo a behemoth. _That_ was scary.

Luneth had mostly just told Arc to "Go for it!" Assuring Arc that the worst Ingus would do would be to turn him down. Ingus just wasn't the sort of warrior to allow a crush to ruin a friendship. Besides, without Arc they may never have defeated Gutsco or Hein.

An hour and much encouragement (and just as much laughter) from Luneth later, Arc felt brave enough to ask Ingus to dance by the light of the fire with him. He realized moments after Ingus accepted that he had no idea how to dance. One just does not learnt these things in a sophisticated town like Ur.

Ingus kindly offered to teach Arc how to dance, causing the nearby bushes to laugh suspiciously. Arc continually stumbled due to embarrassment and the rough ground. The laughing bush was also not exactly helping his self-esteem at this point. He would often fall towards Ingus, who would gracefully catch him, smile gently, and show him where to move next.

Refia, who had been suspiciously absent up until this point (she was conveniently sleeping away from the fire, because it was too bright for her delicate eyes to handle), chose this moment to storm up to the suspiciously laughing bush and kick it in the rear. She muttered something about 'Idiots who hide and laugh in bushes' in Luneth's general direction. Before noticing Ingus and Arc dancing by the firelight.

"Aww!" she sighed, "I wish I had a boyfriend who would dance with me under the stars!" Her words had a definite effect on the couple (Luneth, too, as he promptly began to laugh again). Arc was blushing quite noticeably, even taking the soft reddish of the firelight into account.

Ingus was more concerned with Arc's health than Luneth's mental stability, although he was curious about why he would find dancing by firelight so amusing.

Refia glanced at the couple before dragging Luneth back to the sleeping mats to give Ingus and Arc a bit of time to themselves. Luneth managed to choke out "Arc loves Ingus!" between fits of laughter as he went with Refia.

Moments before Arc had been sure that he could not get any redder. He was wrong.

Ingus looked mildly surprised at Luneth's outburst. "Is that what this is all about?" he asked, referring to all of the odd behavior from Arc and Luneth.

Arc nodded, turning away in embarrassment.

Ingus held out a hand invitingly. "Care to dance?"

Arc looked back at him in surprise. "You still want to…?"

Ingus smiled kindly, before replying, "Of course. I rather like you, too."

The laughing bush returned a while later, having been replaced by a higher-pitched voice. The laughing bush now also made cooing and "aww" noises.


	14. Precious Things

AuthorNotes: Okay, so this week was band camp (not as bad as it seems, but Jaris broke his G string XD) so after joining colorguard and nearly killing myself several times, I only managed to write two stories, the reason there was nothing last weekend was because I didn't have my notebook. This will not happen again! Hopefully. This is based on the title of a Tori Amos song. Which I don't own. However, the fic is much less depressing than the song :D

By the way, is it me, or are all houses in RPGs severely lacking in living space? Nobody in Elder Topapa's housey thing has a bed. There are two fountains, but no beds. In pokemon _you_ have a bed. So does your rival, but where do your parents sleep? O.0 It's a great mystery of life. Or at least a lot of laziness in programming.

Warnings: Er, nothing, actually. Fluffy?

Pairing: Luneth+Arc (I know, pansy!)

Rating: K+/G

Notes: In case you don't remember, Nina and Elder Topapa are the people that raised Luneth & Arc. They were like their adoptive parents or something. I didn't actually remember that, I checked :D Pre-game.

--. Precious Things

Nina fussed over Luneth and his various scrapes and bruises, muttering about "carelessness" and how Luneth would "have to grow up!" Arc stood off to the side fidgeting and overall being very twitchy and nervous while he waited for their foster-mother to finish making Luneth feel better.

After Nina finished Elder Topapa stopped Luneth to lecture him on picking fights over "trivial matters."

Luneth was fuming by the end of it all, making Arc feel very intimidated and reluctant to approach. With much effort, though, Arc managed to talk himself into going into his and Luneth's shared room. Luneth didn't just pick fights, Luneth usually just ignored people he did not get along with. Usually. Arc was sure there were bound to be exceptions, but for the most part, Luneth just ignored the village bullies.

"Uh-L-Luneth?" Arc began, already beginning to wish he hadn't even bothered.

Luneth's rage seemed to melt, or at least fade a little as he rolled over on his bed to face Arc. "Yeah?" he responded.

"Er…I-um…it-it's not important, nevermind…" Arc stuttered, blushing a bit.

Luneth sat up. "Sure it is. What's wrong?"

"I-um-I was just wondering why youpickedafight…" Arc replied hastily.

Luneth paused, presumably to try and decipher what Arc had just begun babbling on about. Just as Arc was about to give up and leave, Luneth spoke again, "I fought for you."

Arc turned a rather lovely shade of red at that. "M-me?" he squeaked, "You fought for me?"

His friend nodded. "They kept calling you a girl and calling your robe a dress, so I beat 'em up."

"B-but you tell me to ignore them when they say that," replied Arc. Luneth nodded. "So why won't you follow your own advice?"

"I-er…Just because," Luneth said as his cheeks began to turn a soft pink color.

"Oh," said Arc simply. He sat on his own bed, barely within arm's length of Luneth's. "Thanks."

Luneth smiled and lie back down before replying, "Anything to make you feel better."


	15. Festival

AuthorNotes: Sorry, meant to get this up yesterday! I like it :D Finally Refia and Luneth join forces. Just cuz. This is the first time Alus has been involved and not ended up being Arc's boyfriend…Wow. By the way for anyone that can't figure it out 'tapped'no mana left. I forgot where I heard it, but I like the way it sounds :D

Also: I seem to have lost my prompt list, so I'm just pulling stories out of my ass at this point. That's why they aren't numbered anymore. I'm also taking requests again. You want a pairing? Say so. I'll take het, slash, Yuri, and crack.

Warnings: Well I'm sure this is OOCish.

Parings: IngusArc (totally not my fault) & Refia+Luneth

Rating: The usual (whatever that is…)

Notes: Woo for plot device festivals! For anyone wondering: Yes, Refia _did_ have plans set up (just in case) for a festival. She plans ahead (way ahead).

-. Festival

Arc glanced cautiously back at the couple of light warriors behind Ingus. Ever since he admitted to Luneth that he liked Ingus, Arc had noticed that Luneth and Refia were moving as a pair, leaving him alone with Ingus to stutter and look like a fool quite often. He was beginning to suspect a conspiracy.

Ingus on the other hand, did not _suspect_ anything. He _knew_ that Refia and Luneth were up to something. Refia got all sorts of ideas, and (un)fortunately many of them worked. Luneth being thrown into the mix was merely a complication, to Ingus. Maybe if he was lucky Luneth would make one of Refia's ideas backfire.

Luneth had been unsure if it was wise to share secrets with Refia, at first, but now that the plan was set he was very glad that he had betra-abus-manip-er…_bent_ Arc's trust. Bent is a nice non-incriminating word.

Refia knew that Ingus suspected she might do something (Arc was rather oblivious for the smartest boy of the group). That's why the plan was to begin tonight. She had already wasted (used! Used, not wasted!) a whole night trying to plan scenarios for Arc and Ingus. This had meant she was short on magic the following day, and when she was completely tapped, she told them to "Use a potion!" and then grumbled about cramps and having a bad hair day, for good measure. The boys let it go after that (and consequently began keeping their potion stock better equipped).

And then the perfect opportunity had presented itself.

King Alus sent an invitation to the warriors for a festival to be held in a few days in their honor. None of them were quite sure how the mognet moogles managed to catch them in Falgabard, especially considering it was the first time the quartet had ever been there, but the invitation reached them. The party sent a letter to Doga who replied that it was a _grand_ idea, surely Xande would wait a day!

None of them were entirely sure how much of Doga's reply was sarcasm, but Refia insisted that they attend. Since she was the white mage and just evil enough to withhold cures, the boys agreed.

And so, here they were, walking up to Castle Saronia, as if they had nothing better to do. King Alus was waiting outside the castle waving them inside. As per planned, Luneth slowed down to be the last one in so he could talk to Alus. If Alus followed Arc, or led the party, instead of falling in behind them, Refia had plans for that, too. As things stood, though, Plan –alpha 14 seemed to be working fine.

The idea was for Luneth to talk (or, if necessary, guilt) Alus into joining his and Refia's scheme. It worked (Alus was glad to help Arc) moving the three of them into part four of plan 5–Alpha 14.

The next part was Refia's favorite, because the festival had a dance later, and Alus recommended that the light warriors have a date . _Especially_ for the light warriors to have a date, the festival was in _their_ honor.

With all of the fighting for their lives and whatnot, the light warriors hardly had time to pick up any lovers (how Desch and Salina ended up so close was still a mystery). Refia would go with Luneth (as friends!) and they would recommend that Ingus and Arc attend together (as friends, too, of course!).

Around part 16 of Plan 17-Omega 32, (the plan was swapped due to foreseeable circumstances) Refia hit a rough spot. Arc was too shy to actually dance, choosing instead to visit with the king. Luneth was already beginning to panic, and Ingus, recognizing the signs of a plan going awry, smiled to himself.

There was only one option Refia could see working (this option was divided into 16 individual plots depending on the outcome, each with a varying number of steps and contingencies). Refia made the secret sign for triggering this last resort (clap, squawk, wink, then head to the refreshment table).

Luneth recognized the sign at once, and promptly signed back (squeak, jump, stomp, then go find Ingus) to show he understood.

Refia had saved this option as a last resort, mostly because of the unpredictable results – "WHAT?" She sighed. that sounded like Ingus yelling. Damn. The crowd parted, allowing Ingus to storm over to the King and Arc.

Despite all of her plotting, planning, and various contingencies, Refia never saw this coming (she was a bit sad not to get to use Plan 42-Beta 0). Luneth was just past mildly surprised, while Refia stood several meters away looking positively shocked.

Ingus had stormed over to a frightened Arc and kissed him full on the lips in front of most of a kingdom they saved.

When the boys separated Arc was a bright red, and Ingus was much calmer. Alus slapped Arc on the back and told him they could get married in the castle after the quest was done, to which Arc merely sputtered and turned redder.

.owari.fini.end

AN: Amazing, the stuff's starting to reach oneshot length!

Review if you have the time :D This is the first time I've asked.


	16. At Last! Immortality Chocobo

AuthorNotes: As compensation for being an evil witch with no updates in weeks, I bring you 3 new drabbles at once! Le Gasp! All at once because I can. One gen, two slash, this round :D These were _supposed_ to be based on prompts from LJ (the first two anyway) but the muses vote no, so it flew away from the proper topic in one, and refused to slash in the second. Drabble three is my own set of prompts (found the list again) and it did what it was supposed to.

Er, also, just to confirm things, is the plural of 'chocobo' chocobos? Just curious. And they come in herds, right? A herd of chocobo? Or is it flock?

Also I mention Xande (drabble 2), so if you don't know who that is…Well, it shouldn't be enough to corrupt your interpretation of the game, but if you don't know him it might not make a lot of sense. Or maybe it will. I wouldn't consider it a real spoiler, myself, but in the technical sense, it is.

Warnings: Umm awkward narration, and one of these is gen :O The second one's pretty depressing. However, it does not deviate from my usual style, it's more that this entire drabble thing goes outside what I tend to write (cheery fluffy things, me? Oh my:O)  
Pairings: LunethArc, then gen, then mild Luneth+Arcish  
Rating: Eh, should be G/K+  
Notes: All three are set in a random point in time. One is Refia _not_ scheming (I know, weird, right:D) Two is just kinda weird, and three is…er, chocobos. In the typical style I write these drabbles :D

At Last

Refia finds it amusing that they've known each other practically their whole lives, but they seem to be the only ones that don't notice the connection…or, maybe she's just imagining things. Luneth and Arc together?

Ingus said he noticed it, too. It's like they are a couple and don't even notice it. At first Refia thought that maybe they _were_ together, and just really bad at hiding it, but much careful watching (or a little stalking, depending on your choice of words) proved this theory to be wrong. Luneth and Arc were caught somewhere between being friends and lovers, minus the kisses and sex.

Ingus had seen how close they were from the time he met the other light warriors, and found it more prudent to simply leave the matter alone. It was with Arc that Luneth did best in battle. Without prior planning, or indeed anything more than a glance or a wave, they had been known to obliterate opponents better on their own, merely receiving a cure or two from Refia or Ingus periodically.

Maybe it was fate when Luneth nearly plummeted to his fiery doom. If he hadn't then Ingus would never have had to save him. Arc would never have gotten jealous, and the boys' first fight may not have ended in a rather sudden and inexperienced kiss.

There was bound to be some sort of scientific theory for that sort of thing. It was like the opposite of a ripple…The sort of thing that might be described as a chocobo fart on the floating continent and causing a tornado in Falgabard.

In retrospect, though, Refia almost preferred their oblivion. She valued Arc and Luneth's happiness, yes, but now weird sounds came out of the tent while Ingus was training and she was on watch.

-lookit a new drabble:O-

Immortality

Immortality vs. mortality. That's what this whole thing was, in the end. A battle for eternity. Would the rest of time belong to one man, or would the light warriors be able to show him the-…er, light?

Luneth polished his sword carefully (the least he could do is keep it as shiny as Ingus's). _What's so great about immortality, anyway?_ he thought angrily. Death is a part of life, the most consistent part of _life_ is _death_. Well, death and change. Ironic, really, when one thought about it.

It is reasonable to _fear_ death. Luneth could at least see that much. The light warriors, of all people, know what it is like to stare Death in the face. Luneth had been the first to die – he blocked a hit for Arc and woke up with a horrible headache in a spring in Canaan.

Dying had been terribly unpleasant. Each time Death would laugh and say "We meet again. Tell me, little one, is today the day you have come to stay?" And then Luneth would wake up in a spring or by Refia with a terrible headache, and barely enough energy to stand.

Xande would never have anyone to revive him. _But_, Luneth wondered, _why by all of Ifrit's hellfire, would you want to live forever?_ Without Arc, Refia, and even Ingus, there was no point in living for Luneth. Why be full of life when you're surrounded by eternal wasteland?

-Back to the happy drabble :D-

5. Chocobo

The first time they had ever ridden a chocobo, Refia had had to catch all four. The chocobos did not much appreciate Luneth's violent shouting, and they easily dodged Arc's timid lunges. Ingus had almost caught one, but it turned out to be the most wildest and most violent of the herd. The angry chocobo left a large gash in Ingus's right arm that Refia ended up curing, because every time Ingus tried to move his arm, it had the undesired effect of excruciating pain.

The next time the group decided to use chocobos as transportation, Luneth was left without a chocobo. His attempt at chocobo catching had ended by chasing all of the chocobos not already caught out of the clearing. Refia flat-out refused to help him find another, so Luneth was left to ride the back of Arc's chocobo.

Arc blushed the entire time, but was not entirely uncomfortable with Luneth's arms around his waist.

-------------

A/N: Chocobos rock 8D I apologize for the lack of updates thus far-It's all the fault of a writing block (I like to call this writing block "all-because-of-colorguard-practice-and-good-omens-shortly-followed-by-the-enormous-reading-list-I-recently-aquired").

Thank you for all the reviews so far, everyone! I've seen bigger stories, better written in bigger fandoms with less reviews, and all of these make me feel very loved :D


	17. Bet Heroes

AuthorNotes: I've got several projects, a list of excuses, and another story I'm trying to work on, so please just accept my humble apologies! I'm so sorry about the lack of updates!

Warnings: Bet you didn't know Arc could scheme (haha, bad pun) / angst for #2

Pairings: IngusLuneth (as requested :D) / ArcLuneth

Rating: T for betting and the word 'bastard' / a bit of gore and unpleasant scenery in drabble 2

Notes: Loose characterization is so fun to play with.

Bet

Refia glared as Ingus casually slid his arm around Luneth's waist. They had been acting awfully coupley since the party had left Saronia. Not that they had not acted like an old married couple since the journey began anyway, but it was definitely worse now. A lot worse.

The problem was not jealousy. To the contrary, Refia was happy for her friends. It was just that, despite all of the evidence and jokes that quite plainly stated that the boys had fancied each other, Refia honestly had not expected this.

It was all that atrocious little know-it-all's fault. Come to think of it, Arc might even have planned this, the little bastard.

"Pay up," he whispered smugly to Refia. She turned red with rage and dug out her secret stash of gold. She would have to start saving again for that cute white mage's hat back in Saronia, only this time she would be starting from scratch.

Damned Arc.

--------------------

Heroes

The first time Luneth died had been before Refia or Ingus joined the party. Both boys had been rather careless when they had decided to run back through the cave that Luneth had first discovered.

Or, rather, Luneth decided this, while Arc simply went along for the ride.

Three goblins ambushed the boys, only meters away from the crystal's room. So far they had done well enough, leaving only one goblin to fight, while both soon-to-be-light-warriors teetered on the last of their strength.

Both boys were nearing unconsciousness, but Luneth had _promised_ that the exit was near, and Luneth always kept his promises to Arc.

The goblin lunged originally aiming for Arc, but there was a metallic _clang!_ and a quiet squelching noise that Arc could easily recognize as the unmistakable sound of a knife rending flesh. Luneth fell to the ground in front of Arc, barely able to gurgle the words "I...believe...in you..."

Everything suddenly changed. The goblin could sense the sheer animalistic rage and horror emanating from its remaining opponent. Arc made short work of it, and dragged Luneth's corpse to the giant floating crystal's room.

It did not speak to Arc or heal him, like it had for Luneth.

The young boy in his girlish attire was forced to drag the lifeless body of his best friend since childhood all the way back to Ur, The fountains in Elder Topapa's home fully restored both boys. Arc reacted to this by falling to his knees and crying in relief.

Luneth decided it was better to let him rest than to describe the awful headache that resulted from being brought back to life, or the horrible crushing darkness that meant one was waiting between life and death.

Luneth kissed his friend on the forehead and helped him to stand. After all, he deserved a peaceful rest, he had been so brave.

---------------------

AN: drabble two was based on a quote I have: "We are the heroes, we die and cry for those who have no more tears."

Also, Luneth actually dies, rather than just being out cold or whatever like in most RPGs, because one of the signature marks of a Final Fantasy game is dying (not just being out cold), not only that, if your character is dead they have a little halo with wings next to their picture. Seemed dead to me. Y'know, just for anyone who was wondering.

Just think; if I wan't too sick to go to school you might be waiting another month for crap-drabbles. Woo for feeling like crap :D


	18. Guardian Angelthing

AuthorNotes: It's Winter Veil break, I'm out of good Dounuts fic, there's no more manga to read (until I decide to devour more CLAMP work) so I bring you _this_. Also I had realized that I had not yet written a _single_ proper Alternate universe for the Light Warriors. Not one AU. At all. And AUs are my favorite :D

Warnings: AU. A bit of violence.  
Pairings: light IngusLuneth. If you blink and tilt your head sideways while reading (between the lines) through a magnifying glass.  
Rating: T/PG for stabbing. Also narrator's language (I'm a dirty mouth :P)  
Notes: It's an AU, set in a place much like modern day, except Arc's a psychic and Luneth has a guardian angel-thing by the name of Ingus. Use your imagination for Refia. She's cool too. Gutsco's my favorite boss to pick on.

Guardian Angel

The criminal, a routine bank-robber and part time murderer by the name of Gutsco, had finally met his match. He waited, feeling no fear-he was immune to any thoughts of true fear. A life of crime desensitizes men to it or drives them into a crazed state of constant paranoia. He was waiting for the kid to make a move. So far the blond (it has to be blond, kids just don't have silver hair, it's got to be a trick of the light...right?) boy, who couldn't possibly be more than sixteen or so, had failed to exact any sort of retribution. The boy had not called the police, had not done anything more than stare for seconds that stretched like a frozen eternity.

There had to be a catch. Kids these days don't just stare. They're often a little too fucked-up for that. All the violence on tv-hell, Gutsco's work had been displayed on the news (the mangled bodies of at least three men, a woman, and a child). And that look in the kid's eyes...Gutsco shuddered inwardly. That was something other than _righteous_ wrath. That look was pretty messed up. And the kid was familiar, too. That was creepy.

"Give it to me," the boy demanded. He had the threat of very _un_righteous retribution written all over his features. He was by himself though, and thus far had refused to make a move. Gutsco had won the round.

Gutsco shook his head as a grin began to cover his face. A gem like _this? _Hell no, this had to be the biggest diamond Gutsco had ever laid eyes on, and it was very appropriately named the Horn of Ice. It looked like ice, alright.

In one quick, well-practiced motion Gutsco had his knife out of his jacket and into the boy's midsection. Careless little shit had let his guard down - big mistake. The distance between himself and his victims seemed to get shorter every time Gutsco tried that - except, this time, the distance really was shorter. There was no blood, but then, what had Gutsco's knife gone into? It certainly _felt_ like human flesh was being rent...

"I told you to call the cops and _then_ get the Horn, didn't I?" the ethereal figure in front of Gutsco said in a warning tone. It was facing away from Gutsco, having already taken his knife with it when it turned. The figure had messy blond locks of hair that immediately gave the impression that wind was blowing to the East. Compared to the other youth's hair Gutsco could easily see the little weirdo really did have silver hair.

The boy rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh in response before withdrawing a phone from his pocket. "Fine," he replied. "And get that thing out of you, it looks gross." The boy gestured at the knife still in his guardian's stomach. The ethereal figure pulled the knife out and stabbed into the air behind himself. It stuck in midair with the sound of a knife hitting stone.

Gutsco reached up. All thoughts of fleeing immediately vanished. There was a solid wall of nothingness in front of him.

While the silver-haired freak tried to call the cops he began arguing with the figure in front of himself.

Two more people (were they people? at least one of the two already present definitely wasn't) stepped into the cramped dead-end alleyway. One of them, who appeared to be vaguely male, if a bit effeminate and in a skirt, seemed to be concentrating, though the boy(?) was still checking their surroundings warily. The other youth appeared to be female. There was absolutely nothing weird about her, except that she was completely normal in a group of what were very clearly _not_ normal people.

The slightly androgynous boy stopped concentrating, causing the knife to fall from its place in mid-air. The girl stepped forward with a crowbar and knocked Gutsco unconscious while he marveled at the fallen knife.

-----

"Luneth quit arguing with your boyfriend and get ready to leave," Refia said sternly. She had been the only one to hear Arc's mumbled warning that the police were on their way. In a few seconds' search she found the Horn of Ice.

Arc was already concentrating again. Refia began to rise off of the ground and gently float toward Arc.

"Get Ingus to carry you, we've got to go!" Refia warned.

Luneth was still blushing from her first comment, though Ingus was fine. He had wrapped his arms around Luneth's waist as the four began to rise into the air. A small shimmering patch of air followed them until hey were well out of the police force's range.

----------

AN: That was more for the sake of an AU than anything, and my IngusLuneth kind of died... Er, yeah. Pansy, I know, but it's something, right? I was actually thinking about going somewhere with it, since it's kinda pointless and all, but I dunno.

I'm going to write a couple more AUs and then return to the usual world. If anyone has any ideas or requests, they will be greatly appreciated! Of course, before anyone asks, pirates will be done.


	19. Pride

AuthorNotes: I'm not dead, I swear! . I'm…er…back? Sorry about the wait.

Warnings: Slash, as usual.  
Pairing: Subtle LunethArc. Mentions of _maybe possible_IngusPrincessSara by extension.  
Rating: G  
Notes: Arc-centric. Nothing spectacular.

Pride

"I don't need to be babied," Arc states. His fists are clenched in determination; he is not pleased, though it is not like the beast he becomes when Luneth is seriously injured. Few monsters yet encountered have been able to withstand a furious _firaga_ spell.

Ingus nods. He is aware of this. The former-knight has learned to read people, and his Light Warrior companions are no exception.

"I – I know that I'm weak, but I'm getting stronger," Arc says in a near-whisper. "I can hold my own, now. Please do not treat me like a child." His words have a cold edge to them, yet still he sounds fragile; like ice.

It is strange to see the quiet youth full of so much pride lately. It is not as if anyone's actions toward him have changed; Refia still acts like an immature older sister, Luneth is still a giant dork (though he has proved to be capable of being serious _occasionally_), and Ingus ever remains the protective mentor.

"You are just looking out for me, I know, but I – I want to take care of myself now – okay?" Arc twitters. He has always been a good kid.

Maybe it is time. Ingus stands before actually speaking. He is almost a full head taller than Arc, and he knows it looks intimidating. Arc does not shrink back.

"Cretin!" he yells, continuing to speak only after Luneth pokes his head into the doorway of the tiny inn room. A short, mostly one-sided argument follows, mostly revolving around what Ingus calls Luneth. Luneth gives up when he realizes Ingus isn't even fighting back today.

Ingus walks out of the room, pausing at the doorway to tell Luneth teasingly, "Your princess has finally become a warrior." He smirks and leaves to find Refia.

Luneth stood, stunned for several moments, before turning to shout at Ingus's retreating form.

Ingus thinks it is funny how protective of each other they can be sometimes. He remembers being shy like Arc before he met Princess Sara.


	20. Finally

AuthorNotes: Okay, the AUs? Not happening right now. I _do_ have this lovely humor piece I wrote during spring break, though.

Warnings: Luneth's a tard ball. Slash.  
Pairing(s): IngusLuneth  
Rating: PG. For mention of harlots. Also language.  
Notes: No innocent harlots were harmed in the making of this. You would think there are only so many different ways I can use that Ingus-saving-Luneth scene in the opening, but no.

Finally!

Arc walks into the inn, rolling his eyes at the upturned table and the confused and frightened-looking young woman wearing quite a lot of clothing that seems to cover very little skin leaning against the wall. That makes three inns in a row. At least they didn't get kicked out of this one.

He adjusts his bag of scrolls, all of Ingus and Refia's new spells, and tries not to make eye contact with any of the inn's patrons. With any luck, no one will recognize him as one of Luneth's companions; or better yet he will turn out to be entirely mistaken in his assumption, and some other nameless warrior will be up-turning tables and scaring innocent harlots for trying to flirt with Ingus.

He realizes he is just deluding himself at this point, so he preoccupies himself with thoughts of how much fun it will be to practice his new spells with Refia.

.o.0.o.

"Oh, yeah? Fine, then! I don't need your help anyway. Asshole," Luneth grumbles after Ingus's retreating form.

Ingus waves casually and tries not to reprimand Luneth for his language. Attention to his idiocy never helps.

Arc sighs exasperatedly, trying valiantly to ignore their third argument of the day. He has a book on magical theory, and he's sure if he can just find the correlation between _firaga_ and _aeroga_…

A frustrated growl from the clearing Luneth is standing in _by himself_ interrupts Arc's thoughts. "How can I spar without a sparring partner?" he yells agitatedly.

Ingus rolls his eyes and walks toward the clearing. "Heel, cretin!" he shouts back. Luneth grumbles, but hurries to Ingus's side. "Are you going to pay attention this time?" Ingus asks. He is treating Luneth like a child, and it is beginning to really get on Luneth's nerves.

"How can I get it right if you just wave your sword?" Luneth demands unhappily.

Ingus sighs the patented sigh of the Eternally Patient Martyr™, and reaches around Luneth to adjust his hands. "Like this," he says.

When Arc glances over to see Ingus's half-lidded expression, and Luneth leaning back and intentionally messing up, he throws his hands into the air and marches off to find Refia. She is far worse as far as reading company goes, but at least she doesn't moon over her fellow light warriors.

.o.0.o.

"I'm not catching you another chocobo!" Refia says impatiently. It seems every time she catches one it either fights Luneth, or flees. "Ride with Arc or Ingus," she suggests, mounting her own chocobo.

Luneth looks up hopefully at Arc. "No," Arc tells him firmly, and points to Ingus.

Luneth walks toward Ingus and his chocobo, where he is met with a stern glare, and an outstretched arm. "Well, cretin, it seems you have begun to annoy even Arc."

"Shut up," Luneth mumbles, wrapping his arms around Ingus and leaning closer than absolutely necessary.

.o.0.o.

Ingus grabs Luneth's wrist, saving him from certain fiery doom, and pulls him up, wearing the best smile Luneth has ever seen. Luneth stumbles a bit, but stops himself before he ends up pressed against Ingus's chest like some _girl_.

They stare into each other's eyes for several agonizing seconds. Then, Arc gets fed up with their little dance. Refia has been resolutely ignoring Ingus and Luneth, but Arc just can't take it anymore.

He shove Luneth unceremoniously into Ingus, and Luneth is pressed against Ingus's chest in the _exact position he was trying to avoid_. He might as well buy some horrible, frilly pink atrocity if he's going to have to behave like a damsel in distress, he thinks.

"Gods, get it over with already!" Arc grumbles impatiently. He stalks toward the cave's exit, Refia in tow, while Ingus and Luneth gape at his retreating form.

.o.0.o.

The next town't harlots noticeably Do Not Flirt with Ingus. Largely because he seems to already have a rather fetching companion with shoulder-length silver hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Ingus and Luneth rent an inn room separate from Arc and Refia's this time. Arc still does not finish his book on magical theory. They all discover that Refia can sleep through _anything._

.o.0.o.

AN: Cracktastic! Sorry I've been away so long .


	21. Pirates, oh my!

A/N: It's November. I have a novel to be writing. I am a day and a half behind. THIS is what I do. *sigh*

Warnings: Crack. Pirates.  
Pairing(s): ...actually, is this gen? Could be IngusLuneth, could imply IngusPrincessSara. There's probably LunethArc subtext somewhere.  
Rating: G  
Notes: I promised a set of AUs forever ago, and I got a review the other day complimenting chapter 20. I hadn't even realized I wrote 20 drabbles, so I went back to re-read it, 20 is by far my favorite, and it inspired me. So I wrote _gen_. That's right: What?

It is hard to be on a ship with only three other people. Ingus had learned this the hard way.

Despite the fact that Luneth was far less experienced than Ingus in the piracy business, he had proclaimed himself captain. Luckily, Luneth's friend was a good navigator, so the constant temptation to throw Luneth overboard was easy to quell, given that Arc would be very sad if something were to happen to Luneth.

The temptation to throw Refia overboard is much more difficult to resist. It is bad enough that she refuses to pull her weight except in emergencies (she makes a great cutpurse, which is nice when they hit land, and kind of obnoxious while they're at sea, which is always), but she makes it worse by trying to spread rumors.

This lasts about ten minutes, because the crew consists of Refia, and the navigator is the next-lowest ranked member, so even if she had any subtlety with her rumor-spreading, Arc would probably just tell Luneth later anyway. Of course, Refia doesn't have any subtlety. At all. In fact, Ingus would almost be willing to wager his entire ship, the Princess Sara that "subtle" isn't even in Refia's vocabulary, except that it probably is because Refia is an evil mastermind.

As things stand, Ingus can hear Refia shouting over the waves that she's _positive_ that the captain is sleeping with his first mate. To which Luneth demands Refia be thrown overboard and Ingus restrains him and politely replies that just because they share a cabin so that Refia can have her own room, as the only lady on the ship, doesn't mean that they engage in any kind of lewd activities.

Refia yells back, That doesn't explain the boat rocking from more than the waves once Luneth thinks Arc's asleep. And those weren't sea ghosts moaning last night.

That's the point where Arc is blushing enough to match the color of a noblewoman's velvet skirts and Ingus just gives up and lets Luneth go. Refia dodges his first three punches and catches his foot, flipping him over in a complicated move that even Ingus cannot replicate, and nearly tosses him overboard.

Ingus sighs and goes into the cabin. These are the easy days.


	22. Request IngusArc II

A/N: I was trying to find some notes for an original story so I would know what world to put dragons in, and I got sidetracked. I got sidetracked _a lot_. I had to look up a few things on GameFAQs, because it has been so long since I played FF3. On the upside, I really enjoyed writing this, and it's a lot longer than my usual chapters.

Warnings: It's terribly Luneth and Refia-centric to be Ingus/Arc.  
Pairings: Ingus/Arc (as per request, even if the request was forever ago), and possibly hinted Luneth/Refia? I don't even know  
Rating: G. Possibly PG for mentions of alcohol and very vague innuendo? But I doubt it.  
Notes: Refia is the world's first feminist. Also I just think she's hilariously temperamental. Luneth is probably not really this oblivious. I don't write enough other pairings.

* * *

Refia is off giggling to herself. Again. It's the third time since they left Prince - no, _King_ Alus and his shiny new kingdom. Luneth suspects it has something to do with Arc. Or maybe Ingus. It's something one or both of them has been doing. Whatever it is, it keeps causing Refia to do weird things.

These things come in stages. She giggles now, later she'll moon and make _aww_ faces, and then after a while she'll get exasperated. And then she'll wake up in a good mood one morning and the whole process starts over again.

It's enough to drive a man to cast silence spells in his sleep. Luneth accidentally silenced Ingus, though he had aimed for Refia. Luckily, it was almost time for a job rotation anyway. Luneth let Arc be white mage for a while, and Ingus took a job that didn't need magic - knight or dragoon, Luneth doesn't remember.

.o.0.o.

It takes another round of observing Refia's strange behavior before it occurs to Luneth that asking her what is wrong might get better results.

Refia looks at Luneth like he has just asked what color the sky is, then points toward their companions, like that explains everything. Ingus and Arc are walking several paces in front of Refia and Luneth, because they are shopping for new equipment, and Refia always buys too much of the top stuff _just in case_ and Luneth always reaches for the biggest, shiniest, most expensive piece of equipment available.

Arc is still a white mage, because he and Refia tend to be best at magic-based jobs, and Refia is having a hit-things-with-big-swords week, evidenced by the over-sized sword strapped to her back. The dark knight job didn't sit quite right with Ingus, and Luneth prefers dragoon because spears are longer and lighter, but Refia takes to it rather well.

A large, sort-of-but-not-really attractive warrior is trying to talk to Arc. As Refia and Luneth near, he hears the warrior boom, "I like a woman who knows her weapons!" He can't tell if it is supposed to be a taunt based on the robes Arc is wearing, and how well he wears them, considering how healing is "a woman's job" (not that anyone ever says that around Refia, because white mages are meant for healing, but she has a _mallet_ and it _hurts_ - she generally heals, but a few too many comments like that mean that it is time to let someone else take over), or whether the man is making a pass at Luneth's childhood friend. Either way, the comment is offensive, and as Luneth's sort-of younger brother, Luneth feels like that kind of comment warrants a beating.

But then Ingus beats him to it. Ingus waves a hand and encases the warrior's right arm in ice, and giving the warrior a glare to match. Luneth feels a bit unsettled, then relieved. He and Ingus argue frequently, but at least he can always be sure that Ingus will pull through when it counts. Luneth's hand falls away from his spear, and he takes his time catching up to Arc and Ingus. He thinks he might have missed something in between, because Refia has moved out of the giggling stage and into the cooing and _aww_ faces stage already.

.o.0.o.

Later, at the inn, Arc retires early, taking a few scrolls with him to study. Earlier in the week, Arc had scribbled out a few words of the normal incantation and replaced them with some other language. When Refia went to cast her fire spell it had blazed closer to a fira's strength. Luneth, Refia, and Ingus let him go without question or comment. Arc works better when they don't disrupt his concentration.

Luneth takes off to buy drinks first. He could buy alcohol, if he so wished, but fighting monsters with a hangover is too much. He learned that early on. Refia and Arc didn't share potions or cure spells back when he first tried, and Luneth has not tried to get drunk since.

When he returns, two mugs of frothy chocolatl for himself and Refia, and a glass of water for Ingus, Ingus is talking in low tones to Refia. She has the _aww_ look on her face already. Luneth sets the drinks down and tries not to roll his eyes.

"I think you should outright tell him," Refia says.

Ingus looks away, and Luneth thinks he sees the candlelight catch his face in a way that makes his cheeks look a little pinker. "I am unsure if that would be the best-"

"I talked to him earlier this week," Refia insists. "It's a better idea than you have had this whole time."

Luneth is fairly sure that Refia has not, in fact, talked to anyone but himself or Arc or Ingus without at least one of the others present this week, but he knows if he tries to say anything while Ingus is still there he'll only get himself a ribcage full of Refia's elbow. Luneth could almost swear he has a permanent dent in his right side from the first few times he tried to correct Refia.

Ingus nods reluctantly and begins to stare off into the distance. Truthfully, he begins people-watching, but when he keeps staring into the same area of empty space after the barmaid has vacated it, Luneth considers it "staring into space," and considering that the barmaid vacated Ingus's line of sight several minutes ago... Well, you get the idea.

Luneth contentedly sips at his chocolatl until Ingus announces that he's ready to retire. Once he has said his "good night" to Refia, because she is a lady and he is a knight (even if he's a black mage right now), and that is how chivalry works in his head, Refia turns to Luneth expectantly.

"So, wanna sleep in my room tonight?" she offers casually. Luneth raises and eyebrow warily. He had made a joke about that sort of thing back at the beginning of their quest, and Refia had aero'd him until he could barely breathe.

"Why?" he asks.

"I dunno," Refia replies in a tone that implies she knows perfectly well, and so does Luneth, except it isn't quite the sultry-barmaid-I-know-and-you-know-what-I-mean tone, it's a perfectly normal and slightly annoyed tone. "It just seems to me that there are two beds in my room and two in yours, but three boys to sleep in it."

And now Luneth is definitely confused, because Arc and Ingus had not considered for a moment sleeping in Refia's room back when Luneth had been the one to point out how easy it is to find two-bed inn rooms, as opposed to buying one two-bed and two one-beds, or trying to find a three-bed inn room.

Luneth's eyebrow raises higher. "There is something going on here," he says to himself, but Refia hears him.

She blushes furiously and looks away. "There most certainly is not!" she insists furiously. "I was just trying to be polite and logical!"

Luneth desperately wants to arch his eyebrow yet higher and say "Right" skeptically, and in that tone that trails off as if waiting for a proper response, but he knows better than to mess with Refia, so instead he says, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, here, have the rest of my chocolatl."

And just like that, Refia is appeased.

.o.0.o.

Later that night, in an inn room that looks suspiciously like all of the others they have been through, and at the same time feels completely different because it belongs to Refia who is a _girl_, Luneth tries not to tell himself "I told you so," because this totally wasn't his plan. He can't even turn around until Refia has changed. Not that he would, but the sheer fact that she told him not to kind of makes him want to turn around out of sheer spite. Except, Luneth values his limbs, and even if Refia is not wearing her dark knight armor anymore, she still has an oversized, bloodthirsty sword somewhere on her side of the room.

Sleep comes easy to Luneth once he is sure Refia is asleep and no longer a threat to his well-being because of some probably-imagined untoward gesture or comment.

The morning would have passed in much the same fashion if Luneth had not woken up earlier than Refia. He dons his armor and exits their room before Refia can wake.

Arc and Ingus are already downstairs, laughing and smiling and holding hands like- _Oh_, gods above. Shiva and Ifrit and Ramuh. Odin, Leviathan, _Bahamut_! Luneth slows backs up, heading back to his and Refia's shared room. That's what she had been reacting oddly to. Ingus must have been talking about Arc the night before, and- _Gods_, Luneth is just as oblivious as his friends keep telling him he is.

Luneth walks into the room as Refia is changing shirts. He only barely gets a glimpse of her stomach but she freaks out anyway. Luneth averts his eyes immediately out of courtesy, and tells her, "Ingus and Arc are holding hands. I'm pretty sure they're a couple now." It feels odd to say. "Do you think it's going to be alright?" he asks after a pause. "If something goes wrong before we save the world, it could cost us."

Refia reaches for the first pieces of her armor as she replies, speaking over the clanks when necessary, "They will be fine. They're mature enough." She is not surprised at Luneth's foresight. He can be oblivious, but he notices little things here and there that make everyone else in the party wonder how they could have possibly missed them.

"I think so, too," Luneth says to himself, and goes downstairs to antagonize his friends. He hasn't eaten breakfast, which means it's about time to start bothering Ingus, and Ingus is now - gods forgive - a lot closer to Arc. Luneth's protective-older-brother instincts are kept to a minimum, while his general taunt-Arc instincts are going wild.

It's a little weird to think of Arc and Ingus like that, but not entirely unexpected. Luneth figures it could be worse. It could have been Refia instead of Ingus. Ingus is a pain, but at least Luneth knows where he's coming from. Refia has_ ideas_ about how women should be treated. Arc is the only one who gets those, like he's the only one who continually gets along with Ingus, but Luneth is positive that doesn't make Refia any less insane.

* * *

A/N: Dude, I almost wrote Refia as wearing a bra when Luneth walked in, then I remembered _it's the middle ages sort of thing_. When were bras invented, anyway? Also, I _do_ have that Xande/Luneth request, I just. Um. Lost the paper. I'm sorry. I got it back from a friend and then rearranged my notebook. It could take a while. As always, requests open. If I've missed you, feel free to point that out as well as what an insensitive unobservant terrible slave of the fandom I am.


End file.
